Turkey Meatballs (bulk cooking)

(1/4 batch of meatballs)

Turkey Meatballs
Source: Open-faced Meatball Sandwiches

1 cup egg substitute (or 4 eggs, whisked)
2 cups soft Italian bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. dry minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
5 pounds lean ground turkey

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape into meatballs using a small cookie scoop, and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (Yes, I learned this lesson the HARD way.) Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and separate into four batches of meatballs. Freeze the batches you don't plan to use in the immediate future.

Makes four batches of meatballs (using the small cookie scoop, it comes out to about 36-40 meatballs per batch). One batch equals one meal's worth of meatballs for a recipe.

*This recipe is also great for making turkey burgers, turkey meatloaf, etc.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Source: I was given this recipe by my sister a few years ago after having this for dinner at her house once. I have no idea where she got the recipe from, but I assume it was a friend. This is how I now make this recipe.

Flour tortillas (Fajita size)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. ground cumin
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese
6 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1-1/2 to 2 cups salsa
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped black olives (I use 1/2 of a small can of diced olives)
2 large cans enchilada sauce (Use your favorite, red or green. I don't like the taste of red, so we always use green. I also use a smaller amount of sauce)

1. If your flour tortillas are not already cooked (not the most common type), heat oven to 350ºF. Wrap the tortillas into a foil packet and heat in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Turn the oven off and kept the tortillas in the oven until ready to use. (I don't ever do this step, because I buy the normal flour tortillas found with the bread.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder and cumin. Add the cream cheese and cook over low heat, breaking up the cheese with a wooden spoon until melted. Add the chicken and salsa. Cook over medium heat, stirring often for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and olives.
4. Remove the flour tortillas from the oven. Spread about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of two 9x13-inch baking dishes (or four 8x8 pans).
5. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture slightly below the center of each tortilla. Roll up from the bottom and arrange seam side down in the baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350ºF or until hot and bubbly. Serve right away.

I make my recipe into four 8x8 pans since we aren't big on eating enchilada leftovers for days. I can fit six in each pan (five side by side, and one at the top of the pan). I bake one pan and freeze the other three. For a serving, two enchiladas per adult is plenty and one for a child. I eat mine with sour cream. Yum, yum, yum!

To freeze: Prepare as directed, but do not bake. Cover with a double foil layer and freeze. To bake from frozen, heat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered for about 60 to 90 minutes. Checking after 60 minutes to see if warmed throughout. Can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight and then baked for about 30 minutes (covered).

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells
Source: Once A Month Mom

12 oz. box jumbo shell pasta
2.5 cups marinara sauce
0.5 cup buffalo wing sauce (more or less depending on heat preference)
2 cups cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast
16 oz. nonfat cottage cheese
0.5 cup egg substitute
1 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta shells according to package in boiling, salted water, until al dente. Drain water and allow to cool to the touch. Combine marinara and buffalo wing sauce in a bowl. In another bowl, combine shredded chicken, egg substitute, and cottage cheese until well-combined.

Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of two 8×8 baking dishes. Stuff shells with chicken mixture, about 1 Tablespoon per shell. Place in sauce-covered dish. Cover shells with remaining sauce and sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella. Bake at 350F about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. IF desired, sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (calories extra).

Freezing Directions:
Prepare as above, except DO NOT bake. Instead, cover with foil, label, and freeze. To serve: Thaw in fridge. Bake at 350F about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. IF desired, sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (calories extra).

Servings: 12 (3 stuffed shells per serving)

Nutritional Information: Servings: 12 • Calories: 267 • Fat: 6.6 • Carbs: 29.7 • Protein: 20.1 • Fiber: 2.4 • Weight Watcher Points Plus: 7

My thoughts: I made this recipe as-is to try it out (but didn't use any blue cheese crumbles since we aren't fans of blue cheese). The verdict from the family was as follows. Husband loved it and said it was perfect. Toddler (30 months old) gobbled it up despite the bit of kick to it. Daughter (age 11) said that it was a bit too spicy (which is odd since she's had spicier foods) but still really liked it. I'm the oddball out. I liked the taste of the buffalo marinara sauce, but I didn't like the stuffing in the shells at all. I practically gutted my shells to eat them. This is not to say that someone who normally loves stuffed shells wouldn't love this, because I don't normally love stuffed shells. It's more like I just kind of tolerate them. Lol. We have another 8x8 square pan of this premade in the freezer for another day, since this recipe makes two 8x8 (or one 9x13) pans worth of stuffed shells. This is definitely a keeper recipe for my family.

***
January 2013
Updated thoughts on this dish: I was three months pregnant when I first had this dish, and I now blame that for my issues that I had in the beginning. I made it, and had it as-is without any issues recently. No texture issues, no gutting the shells, etc. It was very yummy and will definitely be a more regularly served dish around here now.